WhatdoesitcosttofollowJesus?Forthesemenandwomen,theanswerwasclear.TheywerereadytogivewitnesstoChristinthefaceofintensepersecution,evenifitcostthemtheirlives.FromthestoningofStephentoNigerianChristianspersecutedbyBokoHaramtoday,thesestoriesfromaroundtheworldandthroughtheageswillinspiregreaterfaithfulnesstothewayofJesus,remindinguswhatcostlydiscipleshiplookslikeinanyage.SincethebirthofChristianity,thechurchhascommemoratedthosewhosufferedfortheirfaithinChrist.IntheAnabaptisttraditionespecially,storiesoftheboldnessandsteadfastnessofearlyChristianandReformation-eramartyrshavebeenhandeddownfromonegenerationtothenextthroughbookssuchasThielemanvanBraght’sMartyrsMirror(1660).YetthestoriesofmorerecentChristianwitnessesareoftenunknown.BearingWitnesstellsthestoriesofearlyChristianmartyrsStephen,Polycarp,Justin,Agathonica,Papylus,Carpus,Perpetua,Tharacus,Probus,Andronicus,andMarcellus,followedbyradicalreformersJanHus,MichaelandMargarethaSattler,WeynkenClaes,WilliamTyndale,JakobandKatharinaHutter,AnnaJanz,DirkWillems.Butthebulkofthebookfocusesonlittle-knownmodernwitnessincludingVeronikaL繹hans,JacobHochstetler,Gnadenh羹tten,JosephandMichaelHofer,EmanuelSwartzendruber,ReginaRosenberg,EberhardandEmmyArnold,JohannKorneliusMartens,AhnEiSook,JakobRempel,ClarenceJordan,RichardandSabinaWurmbrand,TulioPedraza,StanimirKatanic,SamuelKakesa,KasaiKapata,MesereteKristosChurch,SarahCorson,AlexanderMen,Jos矇Chuqu穩n,NormanTattersall,KatherineWu,andEkklesiyarYan’uwaaNigeria.ThisbookispartoftheBearingWitnessStoriesProject,acollaborativestory-gatheringprojectinvolvingAnabaptistbelieversfrommanydifferenttraditions.
